Most of liquorice produced is used in confectionary and for flavouring including tobacco, beers and stouts. Its pleasant sweet taste and foaming properties are due to saponins. It masks the taste of bitter drugs such as aloe, ammonium chloride and quinine, and increases the foaminess of alcoholic beverages to which it imparts a slightly bitter taste. Following recognition of the anti-inflammatory effects of liquorice extracts and glycyrrhetenic acid present in it, liquorice is being used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, Addison’s disease and inflammatory conditions. Anti-ulcerogenic, spasmolytic and anti-ulcer effects of its flavonoids led to its use for symptomatic relief from peptic ulcer pain. Thus there is a large commercial demand for liquorice.